Please sign in to post.

Vatican on a Wednesday

Posted by on

Has anyone done the Vatican on a Wednesday morning and a quick Colosseum visit on the same day? I only have one day in Rome, so I’ll need to fit both in.

Walks of Italy offers a 7:15am early entrance Vatican tour, which finishes around 11:15am, but it doesn’t include access to St. Peter’s Basilica since it’s closed until 12:30pm on Wednesdays due to the Papal Audience.

Would you recommend:

  • taking the early morning tour to avoid the crowds, then lunch then returning to St. Peter’s Basilica after the Papal Audience finishes — even though that means queueing through security again, then Colosseum late afternoon

  • taking the afternoon Vatican tour instead, which includes the special passage into St. Peter’s Basilica so you can avoid queueing again, although I’m worried it may be much more crowded after the Papal Audience ends?

Any advice would be great! Thanks!

Posted by
12 posts

I've thought about doing this several ways, and nothing is perfect with regard to avoiding long queues and also midday heat, but to maximise time... Since the Colosseum opens a bit later than the Vatican (the park doesn't open until 9am), and because the Vatican visit is more structured, I would start the morning as early as possible at the Vatican. Do the museums tour, suffer the inescapable crowds, take a lunch break and then queue for the Basilica 30 minutes early (it is free). Take a serious break before you see the Colosseum in the later afternoon. I would probably not even bother with a ticket for the inside of the Colosseum (even RS, knowing it's a controversial opinion, says it's not critical). You have such limited time and the day is going to be exhausting anyway. You can take in the Forum and Palatine Hill at your own pace until 7pm which will be welcome after the Vatican crowds. Just my opinion. I haven't tried to do this myself, but I know both of these sites are brutally tiring in the hotter months but I also appreciate needing to take in as much as you can with such limited time.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.